An Indoor 9-Mile Urban Hike

 

A fierce rainstorm had hit California. People had died, a reservoir was bursting at the seams, evacuations had been ordered in several counties.

The storm weakened as it crossed the Rockies on its way to Minneapolis and points east. On Monday, Presidents' Day, the storm finally hit Minneapolis, dropping 0.6 inches of rain. This may sound wimpy, but the average precipitation for Minneapolis for the whole of February is just shy of 0.9 inches.

I decided this was a good day to walk nine miles of the Minneapolis skyway system.

A Constant Supply of Fresh Spices

Time, light, oxygen, and heat are enemies of spices.

Enemy	The Problem	Mitigations
Time	I suspect the typical spice rack harbors spices from the last millennium.	Buy tiny quantities, use within one year. For spices you use rarely, buy enough for one meal.
Light	Spice jars are usually transparent and sit on a rack on the counter or wall.	Store in a dark place.
Oxygen	Eventually a spice jar contains more oxygen than spice.	Store in small plastic bags, squeeze out any air. Buy whole rather than ground spices. This greatly reduces the exposed surface area.
Heat	A warm place (e.g., next to an oven or above a range) might be seen as a convenient spot for storing spices.	Store spices away from heat sources.